Boskasie Reflects on Her Roots, New Music and The Creolization of Cape Towns Signature Sound
For Boskasie (born Nicole Davy) her heritage and her art are inextricably linked. This is reflected in her soundscape, lyrics and right down to her chosen name: “The name Boskasie tells a story about me and ultimately where I come from.The word is a derogatory term -used to describe bushy, unruly unkempt hair. Often, the elders would use this word to describe [natural hair] like mine, that they didn't look at as being polished, or [acceptable].’ she explains.
A name that was repeatedly flung in her direction growing up, it is something that she has carried with her through adulthood-and what she has weaponised in her favor when conjuring up Boskasie the artist: “I decided to take [Boskasie] as my stage name to use to shift this whole narrative and discourse around the name in coloured and black communities to say “you know what, it’s okay to look like this and [not only that] but we can look like this and be successful’’.
Her latest offering, We Are Gold (The EP) is a dream realized for Boskasie- in being able to translate where she comes from not only through lyrics, but also through what she describes as a signature “Cape Coloured” sound.
She breaks down the history of “yaadt” and “ghoema” music, which although synonymous with Cape Town, can also be traced all the way back to the Cape Slave Trade and now exists as creolization of what was once a range of different sounds.
“As much as this EP will be nostalgic to the Capetonian listener because of what we grew up listening to on the streets of Cape Town-I also know that it will appeal to a global audience because goema as a sound-it's a creole sound. Because of slavery and because of slaves that landed in Cape Town who contributed to this sound. It was borrowed from different cultures and countries-I believe that is the beauty, and what will allow ghoema the sound-to travel to the rest of the world.”
Boskasie dives into her family history with music, what went into the making of her latest EP and what she’s got coming next in our interview below.
This interview has been lightly edited for the purpose of clarity and context.
Jade Kelly: Talk me through your history with music.. Did you always know this is what you wanted to do with your life?
Boskasie: Growing up, being a musician was never the intended career path..I actually thought I was gonna be a dancer-but I guess i just loved being on stage in general and just having that love for the arts opened up this idea that I could be and do anything..right now it just happens to be music.
I was heavily influenced by music growing up though-through my family and my brother especially, he was a guitarist and he's definitely influenced a lot of the musicians I like today.
Break down the relevance of the name Boskasie and why that name resonates with you as an artist
The name `’Boskasie’ tells a story about me and ultimately my roots and where I come from.e544The word is boskasie is a derogatory term and word that was used to describe bushy, unruly unkempt hair. Often, the elders would use this word to describe [natural hair] like mine, that they didn't look at as being polished, or [acceptable]. I decided to take [Boskasie] as my stage name to use to shift this whole narrative and discourse around this name in coloured and black communities to say “you know what, it’s okay to look like this and [not only that] ut we can look like this and be successful.”
You talk a lot about delving into your heritage as a coloured South African..are there ways in which this exploration of self feeds into your music?
I use my platform as a musician to speak about who I am and my truth-and ultimately that is being a coloured woman in South Africa. I touch a lot on that in what I speak about [in my music] whether its reflecting on coloured culture, or my experience of hair as a coloured woman..
My dream has always been to incorporate the actual sounds that I grew up listening to in my music. Those sounds are ‘yaadt’ or ‘ghoema’ music for example-very intrinsic sounds to the coloured culture, and [the soundtrack] to the klopse (A Cape Town carnival indigenous to the Cape Malay culture).
It's been difficult to facilitate this process[up until now] because I so much wanted to give it the credit that it deserves. In my latest EP We Are Gold, I was finally able to do that.
[This project] is different because it is me finally incorporating these sounds indigenous to Cape Town-even though I know it will be familiar to people in [other regions] because of the Creolization of the sounds.
How would you describe your sound?
I would describe my sound as “eclectic” because I'm always trying to incorporate new and old and different sounds to transport the message `[that I’m trying to get across]. With every message, that sound tends to change. I will say that one constant is that little bit of soul-so I tend to lean towards describing my music as “eclectic soul’. For now at least.
What is this EP about, and who is it for?
As much as this EP will be nostalgic to the Capetonian listener because of what we grew up listening to on the streets of Cape Town-I also know that it will appeal to a global audience because goema as a sound-it's a creole sound. Because of slavery and because of slaves that landed in Cape Town who contributed to this sound. It was borrowed from different cultures and countries-I believe that is the beauty, and what will allow ghoema the sound-to travel to the rest of the world.
An extension of that-yaadt[a very Capetonian sound] is essentially an electronic derivative of ghoema music. I'm really excited to see how people interpret and relate to the sound [on this EP].
There are two main themes in this EP
Nostalgia-I wanted to encapsulate the feeling of going to see the klopse, of sundays at home listening to Cape Jazz..I wanted to give that gift to others and to myself.
Lyrical Context: I've touched a few issues plaguing our country and [the rest of the world] ie social commentary on issues like gender based violence and black lives matter. I also addressed our inability to see our worth as people of colour- and that is why I named my EP `’We Are Gold” as a reminder to myself and others that we are worth it.
Who do you cite as your musical influences?
My musical influences ranges from the people my family and my brother introduced me to [Jonathan Butler, Hugh Masekela Dula Ebrahim] . Musicians that I drew closer to as I got older[erykah badu, alicia keys, lauryn hill]. So my musical influences range from jazz to soul and rnb and pop-with Cape Jazz being something that I have a very soft spoty for in my heart.
What advice do you have for someone who looks to you and is hoping to break into the Industry?
My advice would be to find a mentor or someone to guide you through the process[I didn’t have that at the start of my career]. I will say that a lot of it has to do with following your heart, sticking to your guns-to know what you want and how you want.
What excites you most about the future?
The fact that I get to grow and evolve-I never underestimate the importance of that process. Who knows what this crazy mind is going to come up with in the next few years? There’ll be more experimenting and exploring and I'm so excited because that means new messages and sounds I get to share. As the world grows and evolves, I evolve with it.
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